In the world of luxury and high fashion, we are often told that beauty means being perfect. But for Anahita Kalsy, true elegance is found in the simple, brave act of being yourself.
At 23, the London-based model and mental health advocate is proving that you don't need to fit a mold to be powerful. She is showing women everywhere that the most stylish thing you can wear is your own confidence.
Born with a rare diagnosis called Congenital Fibrosis of the Extraocular Muscles (CFEOM), Anahita struggled to look at her own reflection for 17 years.
Her school years were marked by the weight of bullying. “My own perception of myself was that I was unworthy, ugly, and would never do well in life. I walked with my shoulders slumped and my head down. It reflected in the way I showed up in the world," she says.
The shift began not with a cosmetic fix, but with a radical internal pivot. Inspired by Rhonda Byrne’s self-help book, The Secret, Anahita decided to test a new hypothesis: that her thoughts could dictate her reality. “I thought, let me just try this. What’s the worst that’s going to happen? I’m just going to go back to being sad.”
This experiment led her to the university in Scotland to study psychology. Immersed in a new culture, she realised that the "flaws" she had spent a lifetime hiding were secondary to her purpose. It was during this time that a quote from the film, The Princess Diaries (2001) became her mantra: “Courage is not the absence of fear, rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.”
"I had a saviour complex,” Anahita admits. “I thought someone would tell me I’m beautiful and then I’d be okay. That moment never came. I realised I had to be the one to work on my traumas," she says. This newfound agency led to a life-altering decision. When medical advancements finally made surgery for her condition a reality, Anahita declined.
In a landscape dominated by the pressure to look a certain way, her choice was a quiet revolution. “I wanted to be living proof that you can achieve anything despite the way you look. If I got the surgery, I would just be conforming to the norms of what beauty should be.”
Today, Anahita balances a high-impact role at a mental health charity with a burgeoning modelling career. Represented by Zebedee Talent, a global modelling agency that champions uniqueness, she uses her platform to empower survivors of abuse and displacement.
Her advice for those struggling with the scars of bullying is rooted in empathy rather than resentment: “The way people treat you has everything to do with their issues and insecurities. I feel sorry for them. They haven’t healed, so they put that pain on others.”
As Anahita prepares for upcoming collaborations and community projects in Notting Hill, her message to women everywhere is clear: “Your appearance should be the least interesting thing about you.”